Dishwasher Recommendations - Pittsburgh,PA

I have a bosch and hate it. Let me reiterate I HATE IT!!!! we paid a fortune for it. or at least it seems like it to me. It has the stainless steel inside. the soap leaves a white film at the bottom. we have taken it apart multiple times to have it cleaned out and cleaned the filters. upside it does have the ability to move the upper rack higher and lower. that part is great. the silverware basket is in an inconvenient space (way back corner so you can't just open the door and stick the silver ware in. have to pull the whole bottom drawer out. little thing I know but drives me nuts. you have to use only finish gel packs or it leaves soap on the dishes. also have to refill the jet dry stuff a lot.

when this one dies and or we move I will be getting a normal dishwasher that is white inside and doesn't have these problems.

Your hubby. Inexpensive and never breaks!!!!

We've had a Bosch for a long time and it's been very quiet and reliable. The gasket is worn away and there are a few other issues with wear and tear (soap dispenser doesn't always open, etc.), and I'm trying to decide about repairing/replacing.

I always look at Consumer Reports, to get an overview of repair records form a lot of people, as well as overall satisfaction. They often give you the "best deal" sort of evaluation too. They also test in their own labs.

One thing I learned from years of using CR is that manufacturers often have specific model numbers for certain retailers, so if you go from store to store, the model numbers don't match exactly. Sometimes CR can help you figure that out, so that the model you buy at Sears is so close to the model you buy at Home Depot (even though the numbers are different), you know what's equivalent.

For me, having a dishwasher that heats the water more than the temp of my water heater makes sense - I don't want to pay for super-heated water for the whole house including my sinks, when I might want it for really dirty dishes. I also rarely use the dry cycle - I save electricity and emit more humidity into the winter air by letting things air dry - so I want options. My old dishwasher has settings for power scrub and things like that that I've never used.

My repair guy said to really rinse all the dishes of food residue because it gets stuck in the vents. We had been running through some jars for recycling when we had room, and he said not to, because the glue from the labels and some of the paper was getting stuck in the washing arm and clogging the holes. So that's kind of a pain but I don't think it's unique to any one brand of dishwasher.

I agree with you about a 1 decibel difference. So I'd look at repair records and energy efficiency - if your $200 difference is going to save you a repair call or 3, or save energy over 5 years, it's worth it.

we had an old Amana that was incredibly noisy. We now have a Bosch. Bosch has several models with differing decibel levels. We were not sure ours was on when we first started it, but there is a red LED that shines down on the floor to tell you it is on. The buttons are on top of the door and when you close it you cannot see them. Ours says SilencePlus 48 dBA of the top of the door. The only weird thing about Bosch machines is that for the first few months we needed to leave the door slightly open otherwise it had this super funky smell inside from the outgassing of the plastic on the racks I assume. I mentioned it to a friend who has a Bosch and she experienced the same. It went away after a few months. I would go to Consumer Digest and see which one they recommend.
http://www.consumersdigest.com/appliances/article/playing...

My parents wanted top of the line when they redid their kitchen a few years ago, and ended up not getting the stainless steel like they wanted, but black. I am pretty sure they have an LG, but it cleans REALLY well and is so quiet.

We have our dishwasher and stove to replace still (only 6 years old, but builder grade), and I've been looking for a few years for options. There are so many out there. Talk to a lot of people in the stores, get different stores views on the items, and do your own research as well.

Get a Bosch. My next O. will be a Bosch. Quiet!
I have an LG right now. Hoping it keeps woeking because very few places repair LG.

I have a higher end Kitchen Aid and I love it.

We have a Whirlpool Gold Series that is very quiet, but I do not like it at ALL. We got rid of our old one because the seal on the door finally gave out. I wish we had just gotten it repaired, it cleaned so much better than this one! Dishes basically have to be spotless going in or food particles will be left behind and the glasses all have soap film on them, even with a rinse aid. AWFUL.

I bought a KitchenAid this past year, and was not impressed with the sound. Pretty loud. It it was a "higher" end KitchenAid. It also takes like 3 hours to run through it's cycle. It also goes through the Rinse Aid (Jet Dry) so fast...I refill it about every week, and only run the washer maybe every other day?

I just moved into a new house and it has a Whirlpool which seems to run pretty fast and average loudness.

I seriously considered a Bosch (or Miele), and will seriously consider again, as I have a couple friends who have them and LOVE them. Apparently VERY quiet. The one drawback with a Bosch is being European, I believe they are slightly smaller, so really go look at them and think about how many dishes you can get in there, etc. Also, being European, it is more costly to repair and parts might be harder to come by. (but with such a high price tag, it better not break! ;0 )

My old dishwashers all had the control panel along the top edge--aka out of sight. Which I liked for cosmetic reasons, and for little fingers pushing the buttoms. My "latest" dishwasher has the buttons on the front, but I really don't care and I think my kids are old enough that they won't touch them.

Another consideration is the placement of the utensils tray. I am used to it standing up in the rack, and I just pull it out and stand it on my counter when unloading the utensils. My Whirlpool has the option of either putting the tray in the door (which I don't like) or in the rack. However the compartments seem much smaller than my old dishwasher, and it doesn't stand up well if I stand it on the counter.

I think I've always had the filter type (vs. grinder) and NEVER thought or worried about cleaning the filter (but I clean my dishes well before going into washer).

Good luck!